Deer populations across Michigan present a diverse range of challenges and opportunities for wildlife management. From the overabundance in the Lower Peninsula to the varying dynamics in the Upper Peninsula, managing deer numbers effectively is crucial for ecosystem health, agricultural interests and the balance of natural predators. Recent regulatory changes highlight the state’s efforts to address these issues through strategic antlerless deer harvest policies.

Overabundance in the Lower Peninsula

Many locations in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, including many urban and suburban areas, are experiencing high deer population densities. This overabundance can lead to various problems, including increased vehicle collisions, damage to crops and gardens, and the spread of diseases such as chronic wasting disease and bovine tuberculosis where they exist. Read more

Safari Club International (SCI) voiced its strong opposition to the recently announced Bears Ears National Monument Resource Management Plan. In promulgating this proposal, the Biden-Harris administration’s Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture have exceeded their regulatory authorities by closing off these public lands to responsible recreational activities, thereby threatening vital conservation funding. The plan also imposes severe restrictions on vehicle access and establishes a total ban on recreational shooting on the entirety of Bears Ears National Monument’s (BENM) 1.3 million acres, a move that will have substantial economic and conservation consequences.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) fails to justify why the Biden-Harris administration has elected to close all recreational shooting access in direct contravention of the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act. The Dingell Act explicitly mandates that public access closures for recreational activities, such as shooting, must be demonstrably in pursuit of a quantifiable objective that affects the smallest possible area for the shortest period necessary. This proposed plan would end open access for recreational shooting in favor of total closure with no explanation, in blatant violation of the Dingell Act’s clear language.

Moreover, the Pittman-Robertson Act directs excise taxes from the sale of firearms, ammunition, and related gear to fund critical wildlife conservation efforts. Read more

NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, strongly opposes Interior Secretary Deb Haaland’s proposed plan for the Department of the Interior to shutter access to recreational shooting on 1.3 million acres of the Bears Ears National Monument, in Utah. Today’s announcement will needlessly deny recreational target shooters access to the monument for no legally justifiable purpose and will violate federal law.

“Secretary Haaland’s proposed plan to close access to 1.3 million acres for recreational shooting is a violation of federal law,” said Joe Bartozzi, NSSF President and Chief Executive Officer. “Public lands must be made available for all the public to use. Federal law explicitly states that when closures of public lands are necessary, they must be limited in area and duration to achieve a specific stated objective. Secretary Haaland has articulated none of the required criteria, as required by law. The Secretary should rescind or drastically modify this misguided policy and apply the law as intended: to benefit the public.” Read more